


Chuck vs Magic

by Stormwolf_dawn



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-27
Updated: 2012-07-27
Packaged: 2017-11-10 21:09:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/470718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormwolf_dawn/pseuds/Stormwolf_dawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chuck, Casey, Sarah and Shaw have to deal with magic, slavers, wizards, knights and kings when they are transported to a parallel world. All this and find a way to keep Casey and Sarah from losing their humanity. Chuck/Casey Sarah/Shaw Warning for m/m</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

It was strange to Chuck, because normally when the bad guys captured him or any part of his team they usually threatened to kill them or torture them. So far all that had happened was that they were tied up and forced to drink a foul liquid that turned out not to be a new kind of truth serum or poison. The bad guys were talking to each other in another room leaving Chuck, Casey and Sarah sitting tied to heavy metal chairs with one guard watching over them.

It was Sarah who spotted Shaw hiding in the ventilation above the guards head first. Shaw looked as if he were about to come through the vent to take the lone guard out when suddenly the door opened and the rest of their captors entered.

"Everything is ready. Our people should be in position on the other side," the leader of the group said. Chuck had flashed on him earlier. He was a low level agent of the Ring who was involved in some kind of slave trafficking that there was scant information about. The only strange thing about the slave trafficking was that instead of women and children it was mostly men and a few women that were taken.

Men circled around the trio of prisoners and began untying them from the chairs forcing them to stand. Chuck looked around preparing to flash on his Kung Fu and help the others take down the people in the room when there was a sudden burst of light that blinded him and kept him from flashing.

Gasps told him that the flash of light had blinded everyone in the room who had not been aware that it was about to happen. Chuck blinked trying to dispel the momentary blindness so that he could flash. What he saw shocked him beyond the ability to flash.

In the room before them was what looked like a circular window hanging in mid-air. Beyond the window was a dark forest with trees and distant mountains.

Before anyone could move, Shaw broke through the ventilation screen and leaped into battle. Chuck couldn't flash, so he wasn't much help in trying to take down the Ring agents. Casey and Sarah were of course battling it out. There were shouts, then suddenly Chuck felt himself being lifted and thrown into the strange window.

He landed in dirt knocking the air out of his lungs and stunning him momentarily. Chuck looked up to try and understand where he was and saw eight men standing around him.

Then a weight landed on his back then rolled off of him and Chuck turned to see a bruised Casey roll on the ground beside him. Casey grunted as he tried to rise to his feet, but failed and fell back onto his stomach on the ground. Chuck turned to help Casey, only to be interrupted when Sarah and then Shaw were thrown through the window to land on both Chuck and Casey. Chuck looked behind them to see the window to the room where they had been held captive suddenly disappear. A feeling of dread dropped into his stomach, but before he could contemplate what the closing of the window meant, he heard something he thought he would never hear. Two screams of pain rent the air. Chuck recognized the screams though he had never thought to hear them in his lifetime. He looked over in shock to see Casey and Sarah writhing on the ground in what looked to be gut wrenching pain. It had been their screams that drew Chuck's attention.

The two of them cried out in pain again unable to control themselves. Shaw had gone to Sarah holding her asking her what was wrong. Chuck wanted to go to Sarah and Casey, but looked at the men who surrounded them instead hoping that they might have an answer. They appeared to be waiting, but for what Chuck didn't know.

"Oh my God!" Shaw's exclamation of horror drew Chuck's attention back to his friends and he saw immediately what had caused Shaw's outburst.

Casey and Sarah were both changing. Chuck didn't know what to call it. Their limbs had elongated and their faces were distorted. It looked painful and if their cries were any indication it was.

Fortunately for Casey and Sarah it didn't last long. Within minutes Casey and Sarah were gone and in their places were two big heavily muscled horses lying on their sides, breathing heavily.

The men broke into action at that moment and came forward with ropes in their hands, prepared to capture the horses before they overcame their shock. The men were used to the animals being docile for days due to the shock of the change, but those had been ordinary people, not agents trained to overcome shock and pain to do their job.

The stallion moved first, gaining its hooves in one quick movement, its dark head whipping out to snag one of the would-be captor's arms in strong teeth. While the stallion practically ripped the man's arm off, the mare had gained its hooves and was using them to lash out at their captors, knocking two of the men at Shaw's feet. Shaw, ever the superman agent, was quick to grab the men's swords that were attached to the belts at their waists.

"Chuck!" Once Shaw has his attention, he raised one of the swords. Chuck took one look at the sword and flashed.

Seeing that Chuck's flash was over and that he had recovered, Shaw threw the sword at Chuck who caught it by the hilt, turning just in time to block the sword of one of the men.

Three men were down, one was fighting with Chuck and another was battling with Shaw, while the other three attempted to capture the horses, who were fighting off the men using teeth and hooves. Ropes were hanging over the black stallion's neck, but the men who had placed them there were having too much trouble handling the big stallion trying to avoid his hooves and teeth.

The white mare neighed loudly and trampled the man who had attempted to rope her, and galloped straight at Shaw and the man he was fighting. The man's sense of self preservation took over and he leaped out of the way of the huge white mare. Shaw was quick to grab a handful of mane and leap onto the mare's back. The mare didn't try and remove him. Instead she continued to run, galloping away from the encampment that the men had set up.

"Chuck," Shaw shouted as they raced toward him. Shaw had his hand out hoping to help him up behind him on the mare. Chuck looked over at the black stallion who had killed one of the two men who had been trying to capture him.

Chuck's opponent wised up, especially with the mare bearing down on them and ran. Chuck took that opportunity to run toward the black stallion just as the stallion knocked over the last would be wrangler. A few moments before he reached the stallion, Chuck flashed, and everything known about riding a horse, saddleback, bareback, and even trick riding was downloaded into his brain. Chuck stopped a few feet from the stallion, disoriented from the flash. He looked up at the stallion into its dark eyes and what he saw shocked him down to his knees. Behind the dark equine eyes, Casey' soul peered at Chuck. All the pain and horrors that the agent had seen in his many years of life were there to be seen and Chuck was horrified that Casey and Sarah were aware of what had happened to them. They were trapped in those bodies. Chuck couldn't move.

Casey snorted and stamped a hoof impatiently, and Chuck could practically hear Casey's voice, "Now isn't the time, moron!" though it was only his imagination. But it broke Chuck out of his trance, and he leaped onto Casey's back. He used the sword to cut the ropes from Casey's neck and then Casey galloped away, but instead of heading for where Sarah and Shaw waited, Casey was galloping toward the picketed horses that surely belonged to the men who had attempted to capture them. The horses were all saddled and bridled tied to a rope strung between two trees. At the charge of the black stallion, the horses began to panic pulling on their tethers. Having figured out Casey's plan, Chuck used his sword to cut the rope allowing the panicking horses to scatter. As they did, Chuck took the opportunity to grab some of the apparently full saddlebags from the saddles of the horses. He managed to get three of them before the horses were too scattered. Casey then stopped chasing the horses and turned to gallop following the path taken by the white mare.

Shaw and Sarah were waiting for them just over the hill that overlooked the area that they had been brought to through the strange portal. Chuck tossed Shaw one of the saddlebags, and Shaw laid it over his legs just as Casey ran past them and Sarah followed at his flank.

The two agents turned horses ran at a full gallop through the dense forest. Chuck and Shaw rode low over their necks trying not to get swept off by low lying branches. The two horses were doing their best to get as far from their would-be captors as possible.

Eventually, the two horses began to slow down as fatigue set in. They slowed to a walk covered in sweaty foam, their great chests heaving. Chuck and Shaw both slid off their mounts and began to walk beside their teammates.

Now that they were far from their captors and possibly safe, Chuck turned to Shaw, "This is really happening isn't it?"

"I don't know, Chuck. It feels real, but it's impossible," he said as he walked with his hand on Sarah's white shoulder, the saddlebags slung over his own shoulder.

Chuck looked over at the big black stallion that he was walking beside, his own hand laying on the thick curved neck that was wet with sweat. He could still see Casey within those dark eyes, the intelligence and the darkness that had always been behind blue eyes.

"I think it is real," Chuck said. "We can't let those men have Casey and Sarah. That's what this slave ring was about, I think. They were making these intelligent horses for some reason."

"Probably for wars and battles. The swords tell me this is a primitive society. They no doubt still fight on horseback with armor and edged weapons. It's why Sarah and Casey are so big. They are war-horses built to carry an armored man into battle," Shaw said. "A well-trained warhorse was worth its weight in gold in the middle ages, I figure a thinking warhorse would be worth even more."

Casey wasn't sure how it was that he could move. He had four legs now, rather than two and his eyesight was funny, but for some reason he had been able to maneuver in his new body rather easily.

He had been shocked by the pain of the transformation as much as the transformation itself, but upon seeing the men come forward with their ropes, Casey had let his training take over.

"We need to find them shelter, Casey," Sarah said. "It's getting darker and colder."

"I've been keeping a look out, but so far I haven't seen anything beyond the trees," Casey answered. He didn't know how he and Sarah were communicating. Were they neighing and whickering at each other, he didn't know. He thought it might also be some type of mind to mind speaking, but they were unable to talk to Chuck or Shaw. Fortunately, they could understand what Chuck and Shaw were saying which would make it a little easier at least.

Suddenly, Casey stopped, his ears going forward. His hearing was much better in this body as was his sense of smell. "Do you hear that?"

Sarah had also stopped and the humans with them were looking around, their hands on the hilts of their stolen swords, thinking Casey was sensing danger.

"Its water, a river or a stream I think." Sarah said.

"We should find it. If we follow the river at least we will have water and maybe it will lead us somewhere, like a village or a town," Casey said. He started moving again as did Sarah. The two human members followed along as well.

Within half an hour they made it to the banks of a small river where they stopped to drink. Sarah and Casey both lowered their heads to drink from the cold river. Shaw and Chuck knelt upon the bank and cupped water in their hands to drink.

Casey lifted his head after having drunk his fill and looked over at Sarah. "I am going to scout the other side of the river. Stay here with Shaw and Chuck to protect them. Hopefully I will find some kind of shelter for them."

Casey then splashed through the river to the other side, the water coming up to his belly. He disappeared on the far bank through a stand of large trees. Chuck and Shaw watched him go.

"Where is he going?" Shaw asked not really expecting an answer from Sarah.

"I don't know," Chuck said as he sat down on a large rock to wait. He decided to open up one of the two saddlebags he carried.

A few moments later he exclaimed, "Hey look what I found." Chuck pulled out a dark cloak from the depths of the saddlebag. It was a heavy woolen cloak oiled to be as waterproof as possible. Deciding that the cloak would be warm, Chuck laid it over his shoulders and hooked the clasp securing it. The cloak also had a deep hood to cover his head should it begin to rain. The cloak went well with his black mission clothes that he still wore. Once the cloak was secure around him, Chuck dove back into the saddlebags hoping to find more goodies.

Shaw seated himself on the rock as well and looked through the saddlebag he carried. He also found a cloak similar to Chuck's and put it on over his dark mission clothes.

The saddlebags yielded up more goodies. In each saddlebag was a flint and steel, a small knife, two canteens, a small purse filled with coins, a whetstone and oil. Also in the saddlebags, wrapped in cheesecloth, was some travel bread, cheese, beef jerky, and dried fruit. Before they could enjoy the food, Casey returned splashing across the river.

Sarah had watched as Chuck and Shaw found the items in the saddlebags, but had been on watch for danger. She was aware when Casey began to return, and had turned her head to watch him cross the river.

"I found a small cave for them to shelter in," Casey said as he reached their side of the river. "I see they looked through the saddlebags. Did they find food in them?" Casey asked.

"Yes, they did. They were about to start eating when they heard you coming," Sarah said.

"Good, then once we get them settled into the cave, they can build a fire and eat then sleep. While they do that you and I are going to have to find a place to graze."

"Okay, how are we going to tell them what's going on?" Sarah looked at Chuck and Shaw who were watching Casey while they packed everything but the cloaks back into the saddlebags.

"I hope one of them knows Morse code." Casey then began to stamp one hoof on the ground in a pattern. He repeated the pattern. Sarah read it and chuckled. He was saying in Morse code, "Pay attention, morons."

After Casey's hoof stamped out the sentence the first time, Chuck flashed, and was able to read what Casey was telling him. Once Casey knew Chuck was listening he stamped out a quick pattern that basically told Chuck and Shaw to mount up because he found shelter for them.

Once Chuck relayed the message, Shaw nodded in agreement. Shaw swung himself up on Sarah's back while Chuck mounted up on Casey. The two agent turned horses then crossed the river and Sarah followed Casey's lead until they reached a pile of boulders where a small cave was visible. Casey and Sarah stopped at the cave and the two humans dismounted. Casey tapped out a message that basically told them to camp there for the night and that he and Sarah were going to look for some grazing for themselves.

"Be careful," Chuck told them. Casey and Sarah both nodded their heads and then walked off into the surrounding forest leaving the two humans to make their camp.

"If you will collect some wood for a fire, I will gather some pine boughs for us to sleep on rather than the hard ground," Shaw said to Chuck.

Chuck nodded at that and the two of them went looking for their respective items.

Luckily for them they found what they needed before the sun was completely down. The clouds had begun to build up as well and by the time they had a fire started it began to rain.

Inside the cave, Shaw and Chuck fed the fire and shared the food they had found in the saddlebags. The bread was hard, and the cheese was a bit moldy but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"I hope Sarah and Casey are alright," Chuck said as he settled onto his bed of pine boughs wrapped in the warm wool cloak.

"I am sure they are fine. Those horse bodies of theirs will keep them warm and I don't doubt that they could use their hooves and teeth to take on just about anything," Shaw said with a chuckle as he wrapped himself in his cloak to settle into his bed of pine boughs.

Casey and Sarah followed the river downstream in hopes of finding someplace that they could graze. Luckily for them they came across the ruins of a small house. The only thing left was the foundation with a few blackened timbers still standing. Surrounding the ruins of the house was the weed choked remains of a garden and a small field that looked as if it had been used to grow grain. The field was full of grass, weeds and wild grain stalks, and small herd of large deer were grazing in the field. Upon the arrival of the two war-horses, the deer had lifted their heads to stare at the horses, but finding no smell of danger returned to their grazing.

Sarah and Casey lowered their own heads to graze just as it began to rain. They ignored the rain and continued to graze, shaking their coats every so often.

Casey's grazing took him near the garden and he noticed that among the weeds were some vegetable plants that needed to be harvested. He decided that he would bring Chuck and Shaw to the ruins in the morning so that they could harvest some of the plants for extra food for themselves.

They grazed all night, the rain finally stopping several hours after it had begun. They slept standing, leaning against each other for a few hours heads resting on their partner's back. They were well rested after just a few hours of sleep and were able to continue grazing trying to fill their bellies so they could take their teammates to a town or village.

When morning came, Casey and Sarah followed the river upstream back to the cave where they had left their teammates. Casey leaned his head in and saw that Chuck and Shaw were still asleep, lying upon pine boughs, wrapped in the cloaks they had found. Casey trumpeted a neigh that rang through the confines of the cave startling both of the men to wakefulness. Chuck screamed a girlish scream and Casey nickered a laugh. He pulled his head out of the cave to allow Chuck and Shaw to exit after they put out the nearly dead fire and put their boots back on.

Shaw and Chuck came out of the cave and Chuck looked at Casey and said, "That wasn't funny. You scared the hell out of us."

Casey only shook his head still quite amused by both of the men's reactions.


	2. Chapter Two

"That wasn't very nice." Shaw told Casey. Casey just snorted.

Sarah stamped her hoof getting the men's attention. Chuck read the MORSE code she stamped out with her hoof. "They want us to mount up." Chuck told Shaw.

"I can't help but wonder where these two plan to take us." Shaw said as he swung up on Sarah's back. Chuck grabbed a handful of Casey's dark mane and swung up onto the NSA agent's back.

Once the two men were mounted, Casey led the way following the course of the river until they came upon the ruins of the cottage and the wild grown garden. Casey walked over to the garden careful of where he put his hooves then stopped. Sarah had followed him and when both of the stopped, Shaw and Chuck dismounted.

"Its a garden." Shaw said. "Looks like there is some vegetables still growing here." He knelt down and examined the plants. Chuck knelt down beside him and reached out to pluck some ripe tomatoes from a plant.

"We should gather as much as we can carry." Chuck said. "There is no telling when we will reach some sort of civilization."

Shaw nodded at that.

While Shaw and Chuck gathered what vegetables and herbs they could from the wild grown garden, Casey and Sarah took the opportunity to graze on the wild wheat and grain.

When the stolen saddlebags were full of what they could harvest, Shaw and Chuck walked over to where the two agents-turned-horses were grazing.

"Maybe we should gather some of this," Chuck slapped a grain stalk in emphasis, "for Casey and Sarah."

"Good idea." They used their swords to cut down some of the stalks, then gathered them together. They tied the bundles together using bits of leather found in the saddlebags, then mounted up, the saddlebags and the bundles of grain lying over the withers of the mounts they rode.

Casey led the way deciding to follow the river hoping it would lead to civilization. Sarah walked beside him matching his pace.

"What are you planning?" Sarah asked Casey.

"At the moment, I am planning to follow this river. If there are villages they would more than likely build beside easily obtained water." Casey answered.

"If we find a village and manage to get Shaw and Chuck settled there, are you planning to stay with them?"

"I really don't know." Casey answered. "What about you?"

"I don't know either. I am not sure that it would be a good idea. They would have trouble feeding themselves much less having to come up with food for two horses like us."

Casey nodded at that.

They stopped about mid-day to allow them to eat. Chuck and Shaw ate what was left of the jerky along with some cheese and a few vegetables from the wild grown garden, while Sarah and Casey ate some of the grain that the others had collected for them.

After they ate and drank, they continued on. As it got later, Casey began searching for a shelter for the two humans. A few hours before it got dark, Casey found a hollow beneath the spreading roots of a large tree. It was not the best shelter, but Casey thought it would have to do.

Casey stopped at the hollow with Sarah following his lead. He stamped out a message telling the human members of the party to camp here.

Shaw and Chuck dismounted taking the saddlebags and bundles of grain they had. Shaw explored the hollow and nodded to himself in satisfaction. While not as deep as the cave, the hollow would serve as an adequate shelter.

"Firewood and pine boughs again," Chuck asked the older agent.

"Yes. Which do you want?"

"I will collect wood," Chuck answered and headed off into the surrounding woods. Casey and Sarah walked away to look for more grazing ground following the course of the river. Shaw used his sword to cut down some pine boughs to be used as bedding.

Chuck came back several minutes later his arms filled with large pieces of wood and branches. "Hey Shaw, I found some mushrooms that I flashed on. Apparently the marine survival guide is in the Intersect. I even flashed on how to make some snares when I spotted some rabbit tracks. Of course the Intersect recognized the tracks." Chuck said.

"Do we have the supplies to make snares?" Shaw asked. He himself had very little wilderness survival training. As an agent he was mostly posted in urban areas.

"I don't know. I can look again," Chuck answered as he laid his bundle down near the entrance to the hollow. Shaw had arranged the pine boughs into two beds on either side of the firepit he had also built. While Shaw started the fire using the flint and steel taken from the saddlebags, Chuck rummaged through them for items he could use to make a snare.

Fortunately, Chuck did find the items he needed and went off to follow the Intersects directions on setting snares. Hopefully by morning they would have some rabbits to add to their meager food supply.

When Chuck returned to the hollow, Shaw had the fire going and was roasting some of the vegetables from the wild grown garden and the mushrooms that Chuck had brought back from his foray.

"The snares are set," Chuck said.

"Good work, Chuck." Shaw added some more wood to the fire. "The vegetables are roasting should be done soon. There's no meat left but there is some cheese."

Chuck nodded as he sat down. When the food was ready the two of them ate as much as they could trying to fill their bellies and fuel their bodies.

Casey and Sarah followed the river until they came across something that pleased them both. Spanning the river was a large wooden bridge and on each side of the river the bridge connected a road that went as far as the eye could see in both directions. The road was hard packed dirt and from the tracks on it there seemed to be a fair amount of traffic on the road.

"Should we follow the road," Sarah asked Casey.

"I think so, but keep your ears open I don't really want to run into any people right now." Casey said.

They walked on the hard packed road following it as it lead away from the river. Within several minutes of walking the two of them heard the sound of creaking wheels and the snort of an animal. Casey and Sarah moved off the road into the trees and continued moving parallel to the road.

It didn't take long for the two long strided horses to catch up to what had been making the noise. It was a man leading an ox that was pulling a two wheeled cart loaded with full burlap sacks. The man's attention seemed to be on leading the stubborn ox, and the road ahead of him that he was unaware of the two big horses moving as silently as they could through the forest.

Casey hoped that the man was heading toward a village. Shaw and Chuck were running out of food. A village would hopefully have stores which they could use the coins found in the saddlebags to buy more food and some supplies.

Much to the surprise of the horses and the man with his cart, and arrow embedded itself into the man's chest. The ox startled when the man fell over onto the road bleeding from his chest. Three men came out of the woods on the other side of the road. The men were armed with bows and knives. One of the men grabbed the reins of the ox to keep it from bolting, while the other two men dug through the clothing of the corpse.

Casey realized that the three men were bandits and an idea began to form in his mind.

Once the men were done taking all they wanted from the corpse, they led the ox and cart off the road into the woods. Casey followed them keeping far enough back so as not to be seen. Sarah followed him wondering what Casey was up to but deciding to keep quiet.

Casey followed the tracks the cart made until they came upon a clearing beside a small stream. Casey and Sarah stayed hidden as they watched the three men enter the camp where two other men waited. The camp in the clearing was haphazard, but Casey saw that they had tents set up. Two fires going with a large cooking pot over one of them and spit over the other told Casey they had food. Five horses were tied to a picket line, their tack lying on the ground beneath one of the trees that the rope was tied to.

As they watched, the men slaughtered the ox. The carcass was then butchered, a few of the cuts going on the spit to be roasted slowly over the open fire while the rest was hung in a wooden box. The men put piles of wood in the metal container connected to the box and started a smoky fire. When the lid was closed to the container the smoke began to fill the wooden box. While one man turned the spit and watched over the smokehouse, the others began unloading the cart.

Casey backed away from the clearing far enough that he could speak with Sarah without drawing the attention of the bandits.

"What is going on," Sarah asked as soon as they were far enough away.

"Those bandits have everything Chuck and Shaw need."

Sarah immediately understood. "How do you want to do this?"

"I am going to circle around and attack from another direction. When I do you start your attack from here. Don't let them get to their weapons or their horses. Try not to destroy anything, just kill the bandits as quickly as you can," Casey explained.

Sarah nodded and Casey vanished into forest to circle around the bandit campsite.

Eventually, Casey got into place and began his charge. The men were startled by the appearance of a riderless horse and did not immediately go for their weapons. That was their first and last mistake. While Casey began his attack, Sarah also charged into the camp. The men were at a disadvantage without their weapons beyond the knives on their belts.

Hooves and teeth were effective weapons and the bandits died bloody deaths. The horses had been startled by the attack but had not managed to break the picket line. Once the fight was over, the horses began to settle down.

"I am going to deal with the bodies, I need you to go back to the hollow and get the others," Casey told Sarah.

"It's getting dark, should we not wait till morning," Sarah asked.

"I would say yes, but I don't want the meat over there to ruin. Hands will be needed to deal with it."

Sarah nodded and headed back to the hollow where they had left Shaw and Chuck.

Though her night sight wasn't very good in her horse body, Sarah was able to make her way to the road where the body of the man still lay surrounded now by carrion birds. Sarah then followed the road back to the river and then went upriver to the hollow where they had left the human members of their team.

At the hollow, Chuck and Shaw were wrapped up in their cloaks lying on pine boughs around a banked fire. When she reached them she stamped her hoof to wake them up. Shaw and Chuck came awake instantly and saw Sarah.

"Sarah, what is going on? Is Casey alright," Chuck asked looking up at the white mare whose body glowed in the moonlight.

In MORSE code Sarah stamped out, "Casey is fine. Need you both to come with me. Bring everything."

Chuck read what she said out loud to Shaw. Daniel nodded, and began packing up their little camp while Chuck put dirt on the fire to make sure it was completely out. When they had packed up their camp, Shaw swung up onto Sarah's back. Chuck then mounted up behind Shaw and Sarah carried them downriver to the road.

"It's a road. They found a road. Do you think they found a village?" Chuck asked Shaw.

"I don't know. They must have found something or they would have waited till morning." Daniel said.

Then they came across the dead man on the road the body being eaten by carrion birds and the two of them began to worry about what Sarah and Casey had found.

At the body, Sarah turned off the road into the surrounding wilderness. Shaw and Chuck ducked the low lying branches as they moved through the trees.

Eventually, Sarah brought them to the clearing where Casey waited. The bodies of the bandits were gone, but the fires were still burning and the encampment was just as Sarah had left it.

"I dragged the bodies far into the woods. It shouldn't attract animals to the camp." Casey told Sarah.

Sarah nodded as she stopped to allow her riders to dismount. Shaw swung his right leg over her withers and slid down her left shoulder while Chuck slid down her right shoulder to the ground.

"Oh wow." Chuck said as he looked around the encampment. "No wonder Sarah came and got us!" Chuck went immediately to the pot that was hanging on a tripod over a cooking fire. He used the hook tool hanging on the tripod to lift the lid of the pot and a ladle also hanging on the tripod to stir the contents.

"Beans, these are beans cooking. They look as if they might be ready." Chuck said.

Shaw was searching the tents. A couple of the tents had bedrolls in them but one of the tents had bags and crates stowed inside. Shaw called to Chuck who came over quickly. Together they searched through the bags and came up with a variety of supplies including bags of sugar, salt, flour, coffee, beans, potatoes and other vegetables. There was also a larger pot, a small kettle, a frying pan, some plates and bowls made from fired earthenware, and utensils made from wood or metal.

After searching through the supplies, Shaw went and checked on the real horses that were picketed between two trees. Shaw being the horseman he was, checked over the animals' carefully. Though the animals weren't in the best of shape, they were not in danger of dying.

While Shaw checked the horses, Chuck found the cart with its full burlap bags. Using a knife, Chuck opened up one of the bags to check the contents.

"Oh wow!" Chuck said as he dipped his hand into the oats that filled the bag near to bursting. "Look Casey!" Chuck told the big stallion who had followed him to the cart. He held his hand filled with oats out to the stallion. "Try some."

Casey stretched his neck out and smelled the oats in Chuck's hand, then began eating the handful of oats. Sarah and Shaw came over and Shaw dipped his hand into the sack to offer Sarah some of the oats as well.

After Sarah ate all the oats from his hand, Shaw picked up the sack and carried it over to tree where the horses were picketed. Among the saddles and other tack where several feedbags. Shaw filled the feedbags and placed them over the horse's faces so they could eat the oats. Shaw then left the sack open for Sarah and Casey.

"Don't eat too much of it, you'll be sick if you do." Shaw warned them. Casey and Sarah nodded at that, then began to eat the oats from the open sack.

"I am going to check on the meat hanging over the fire there and the smokehouse. Chuck why don't you check on the beans again," Shaw said. "We should be able to eat the beans tonight along with some bread and cheese. After I check the meat I will get us some pine boughs to sleep on, I am not to sure of those bedrolls. I am thinking maybe lice so we should probably clean them tomorrow."

"Yeah, definitely no lice." Chuck said shuddering dramatically at the thought as he went to check on the beans.

The beans were ready and Chuck took a couple of bowls from the supply tent along with some spoons. He filled the bowls with beans, added a hunk of bread from the supply tent and a small wedge of cheese, then handed Shaw his while sitting down near the fire on a pile of pine boughs. The two of them sat and ate in silence. Casey and Sarah had eaten enough of the oats and had started grazing on the grass around the camp.

After they finished eating, they placed the lid back on the pot with the leftover beans inside then buried it in the warm coals of the fire. Wrapping up in their cloaks, Chuck and Shaw then lay upon their nest of pine boughs and slept.

In the morning, Shaw was the first to awaken. After taking care of his morning business in the copse of trees, Shaw went to check on the real horses. He untied them from the picket lines to allow them to graze knowing that Casey and Sarah would make sure the animals didn't wander off. He then went to the warm ashes of the fire and unburied the pot of beans. Using more wood, Shaw built up the fire some more to heat the beans and toast a few slices of the bread.

Shaw's movement eventually woke Chuck and the young man sat up on his bed yawning. "Beans for breakfast?" He asked.

"They won't last for very long, so it would be better to eat them now." Shaw answered.

"Not going to complain, not after eating moldy bread the first few days." Chuck said. "I just remembered the snares I put out last night, I forgot when Sarah came and got us."

"After breakfast ask Casey if he will take you back to the hollow. Maybe we will be lucky and there will be a few rabbits caught in the snares." Shaw said as he filled up two bowls with beans and laid a slice of toasted bread over the top.

"Isn't that meat over there enough?" Chuck asked.

"It will last us awhile, but why waste perfectly good snares."

Chuck shrugged as he took his bowl from Shaw. The two of them ate quietly. When they were done, Shaw took the bowls as well as the ones from the night before and went to the nearby stream to wash them. Chuck walked over to where Casey and Sarah were grazing along with the real horses.

"Hey Casey any chance I can get a ride back to the hollow. The Intersect showed me how to make some snares and I left them set near our old campsite." Chuck asked the black stallion.

Casey sighed, then nodded his head. Chuck grinned, then mounted up on Casey. The big stallion broke into a ground eating trot heading away from the campsite to the road. Chuck ducked low over Casey's neck to avoid any low lying branches.

At the road they avoided the half eaten carcass of the man the bandits had killed and headed toward the bridge. Casey kept an ear out for any other travelers on the road. Fortunately, the road was deserted that early in the morning and Casey was able to get them to the old campsite at the hollow. Once there, Chuck dismounted and went in search of his snares.

Luck was with him for he had two rabbits caught in his snares. The Intersect gave Chuck the knowledge and skill to field dress the rabbits which he did using the knife he had taken to carrying at his belt. He then pocketed the snares and hung the rabbits at his belt, then walked back to where Casey waited.

Once back at the hollow, Chuck mounted up grabbing a handful of dark mane and leaping up onto Casey's broad back. Casey pivoted on his hind hooves rearing slightly, then broke into a trot heading back toward the bridge.

He stopped however before they got to the bridge when he heard the sound of hooves and the voices of men. Chuck hunched down over Casey's neck, the hood of his dark cloak over his head. Casey stood perfectly still in the deep shadows of the trees and watched through the branches as three riders walked over the bridge to the side where Casey and Chuck waited.

The riders were wearing a uniform of some type made from hardened leather. They all wore red cloaks and one of them had a golden knot on the shoulder of his cloak.

Soldiers, Casey thought. He was hoping that the shadows hid them from the eyes of the riders. It was still early in the morning and the sun was casting deep shadows among the trees.

As the soldiers rode slowly down the road they spoke, "I am happy to know that we are only a few days out from Dayspring. It will be nice to sleep in a bed rather than the hard ground." One of the soldiers said.

"Aye. Especially when the bed is occupied with a sweet lass." One of the other soldiers said. The others laughed.

"Didn't think you had the coin to spend on a whore, Sergeant." The man with the officer's knot said.

"Who needs coin when ya got a face like mine." The Sergeant answered with a grin.

The others laughed even harder. Eventually they got far enough away that Casey and Chuck could no longer hear what they were saying. Still Casey waited, making sure that the riders were beyond sight before moving out of the woods and onto the road.

Casey deliberately kept to a slow walk so they would not overtake the soldiers. Casey stopped when he heard the soldiers find the body. He could barely hear them but it sounded to Casey as if they were planning to bypass the body and to only mention its presence to the town constables.

Once Casey and Chuck came upon the body they left the road and headed for the campsite.


	3. Chapter Three

Once at the campsite, Chuck dismounted from Casey's back and headed to where Shaw was setting up a large pot of water to boil.

"I see the snares worked." Shaw said nodding to the rabbits hanging from Chuck's belt.

"Yeah, but that's not the most important part. As we were coming back we saw riders on the road. I think they were soldiers. Luckily Casey heard them coming and manage to hide us in the shadows. The soldiers said something about a town or village being a couple of days away." Chuck told Shaw.

"That's good news. When we are ready we can take the road to this village. Hopefully we can sell those bandit's horses and gear for money until we can find some kind of job."

"So you don't think we'll ever get home?" Chuck asked Shaw.

"I don't know Chuck. I wish we could, but even if somehow we find a portal home, what about them?" He nodded to where Casey and Sarah were standing together.

"Maybe we can find a wizard to transform them back?" Chuck said.

"Could we trust any wizard to do that instead of taking them. I am guessing Sarah and Casey are worth a lot of money. We would be hard pressed to defeat a wizard."

"This is so wrong. With us out of the way there is no telling what the Ring will do." Chuck answered. "Beckman probably thinks we are dead which means someone will tell Ellie that I am dead. Morgan at least will know that the Ring killed me, but Ellie will probably believe I died in a car accident or something."

"The CIA will take care of Ellie, Chuck. They will keep an eye on her to make sure that Ring doesn't know about her."

Chuck just nodded. He noticed the pot that Shaw was setting up. "What are you doing, making some more food?"

"No actually I was going to boil water to help clean those bedrolls, the clothes I found and the saddle blankets. I am hoping that the Intersect has some knowledge on how to make soap since I couldn't find any in the supplies."

Chuck flashed as Shaw's words and then grinned, "Yeah it's in there. What a weird thing to have in the Intersect. But hey whatever works."

Shaw smiled at Chuck and then the two men got to work.

Casey and Sarah had listened to Chuck and Shaw's conversation. Sarah wished she could hug Chuck when he started talking about Ellie.

"They'll be fine, Walker. They are both capable agents. We got them what they needed to survive and the two of them will take care of each other. We'll get them to this village and they will be able to make lives for themselves here." Casey answered.

"You talk as if you plan to leave afterward." Sarah said.

"Like you said, taking care of two big horses will be too much of a burden for them. They will be fine and I have no desire to pull a plow or wagon."

"What do you plan to do then?" Sarah asked her partner.

"I guess we'll wait and see, Walker."

Sarah didn't know what to say to that. To her Casey sounded resigned to being a horse and Sarah knew she probably accept the fact that they would never be human again.

Working together, Shaw and Chuck made soap from wood ash and animal fat. They then used the pot of boiling water and the soap to clean the bedrolls and the extra clothes they had found in the tents. They hung the items up on a long rope strung between two trees to dry. When they had cleaned everything they had found, the two men then stripped themselves of their mission clothes and washed them as well. They then used the rest of the hot water and soap to clean themselves. When they were done they used the cloaks to cover themselves and to keep warm while they waited for the clothes to dry.

Shaw took the small pot that had held beans upon their arrival. He had cleaned it earlier so it was ready for use. He took some of the oats from one of the bags from the cart and added water. He then hung the pot over the fire to cook.

Eventually the clothes found in the tent were dry enough that Chuck and Saw were able to wear them. The clothes didn't fit very well but it was all they had till their mission clothes were dry. The oat porridge Shaw had made was ready and they added some sugar to it and ate. Shaw had also fed the horses some oats and left a bag open for Casey and Sarah.

The rabbits that had been caught in the snares were skinned and butchered by Chuck using knowledge from the Intersect. The meat was placed in another pot of water with some chopped vegetables and seasonings along with some barley from one of the other bags. The stew would take some times to cook and they hoped it would be ready before nightfall.

After eating the porridge, Chuck and Shaw took the saddles and bridles to the fireside and used the oil found in the saddlebags to clean the tack in hopes of selling it at the village. While they worked, Casey walked over to them and began to stamp in MORSE code.

"He wants us to choose out two of the best set of tack to keep. No way, we aren't using those on you guys!" Chuck protested.

Casey stamped his hoof some more.

"What did he say?" Shaw asked when Chuck remained silent.

"He said it would be too suspicious for us to be riding without tack. This changing people into horses thing might be common knowledge. If they realize what Casey and Sarah are they might try and steal them." Chuck answered in a subdued voice.

"He's right." Shaw said.

"I know but I don't have to like. Anyway we need to take those bits off those bridles, No way am I putting a bit their mouths." Chuck said.

Shaw smiled, "Neither am I." And he set to work finding the two best bridles to remove the bits.

Casey shook his head, but stamped nothing more. He walked back to where Sarah was eating some of the oats.

"Did you really want a bit in your mouth?" Sarah asked him.

Casey didn't bother to answer.

Cleaning the saddles and bridles kept Shaw and Chuck busy for awhile. Shaw had set aside two of the best set of tack and had removed the bits. All the tack had been dyed black and the buckles and metal parts had been allowed to tarnish so that the gleam would not give the bandits away. Shaw and Chuck cleaned the metal polishing them till they shone and then oiled the leather. When they were done with the tack, Shaw checked on the horses. He found a brush and curry comb among the supplies and used them on the real horses. He combed out their mane and tails removing burrs and knots carefully. Shaw realized as he was taking care of the horses that he actually missed the ranch that he had grown up on as a child. He had hope that after he and Eve had taken care of the Ring that they would be able to settle down on that ranch that had been left to him by his parents after they died. The ranch had been taken care of by people he trusted, but he eventually had hoped to retire to that ranch. After Eve's death, he wasn't sure that he wanted to survive the destruction of the Ring. Now everything was different. He had stepped into a fantasy novel and all that was left was friendship and survival.

Shaw vowed that he would make sure that he took care of his people in honor of Evie.

After he finished with the horses he took the brush and currycomb over to where Sarah and Casey were grazing. He offered the same service to them.

Casey disdained the idea and shook his dark head. Sarah let him, knowing that Shaw was just being helpful since they didn't have hands to care for themselves. And the knots in her tail were starting to hurt just a little.

Shaw took care of the knots and the burrs she had picked up in her golden mane and tail, then brushed her brilliant white coat until it shone. He checked her hooves to make sure they were in good shape.

When he was done he looked over at where Casey was drinking water from the stream and really wished the Marine would let him at least check his hooves. Shaw supposed he could order Casey to let him check since he was technically their boss, but he felt that would be a breach of trust. Instead he walked back to the fire where Chuck sat on one of the saddles his cloak wrapped around him.

"They alright?" Chuck asked.

"Sarah had picked up some burrs in her mane and tail, but her hooves are in good condition. Won't need a trim for awhile. Casey wouldn't let me check, but I think I saw some burrs and knots. Stubborn Marine." Shaw said.

"He is at that." Chuck answered as he placed another log of wood on the fire.

Eventually night fell. The bedrolls and the rest of the clothes had dried. They set up two of the bedrolls in one of the tents. The other tents besides the supply tent they dismantled and used the oiled canvases to hang in the trees to build a temporary shelter for Casey and Sarah in case it rained again. They packed up the clothes in the saddlebags placing the saddlebags in the supply tent. They had also moved the sacks of grain into the supply tent as well. The rabbit stew was done, and the two of them ate generous portions along with some bread that they dipped into the stew. After cleaning up everything and burying the pot with the remaining stew in the hot coals of the banked fire, the two men went inside the tent to sleep.

Casey and Sarah kept guard throughout the night taking turns to sleep a few hours. The real horses were content to graze and stay near the stallion and mare.

In the morning the clouds had begun to gather hiding the sun. A drizzle of rain began making the day gray and cold. Putting the hood of his cloak over his head, Chuck exited the tent to go and take of business in the treeline, then returned to the camp. Using a stick he dug through the ashes and coals of the fire to find the stew pot. The fire was hard to start because of the rain but luckily they had kept the firewood inside the supply tent. The fire hissed and spit as the drizzle hit the flames but the rain wasn't heavy enough to put the fire out. Shaw exited the tent and went toward the treeline as well. Chuck set the pot of leftover rabbit stew over the fire to warm then sat on a log to huddle around the warmth of the flames. A few minutes later Shaw joined him huddled in his own waterproof cloak.

"Miserable morning." Chuck said. "Is there anything we need today?"

"Nothing I can think of. Everything's cleaned, the supplies are in the tent, horses are groomed. Might wanna open another sack of grain for them. Thinking I will mix some of the oats and barley and wheat together to make a good mix for them. I found a couple of extra feedbags in the supplies for Sarah and Casey if they want. Other than that, nothing comes to mind." Shaw answered.

"Then maybe we can go back to bed until this rain clears up." Chuck said hopefully. Shaw laughed a little at that.

"If you want to you can."

When the stew was heated Shaw took the bowls they had used the night before and cleaned afterward filling them with the rest of the rabbit stew. With a chunk of bread apiece, the two men finished off the rabbit stew letting the warmth fill their bodies.

When the stew was done, Shaw took out the coffee pot he had found in the supplies and made them some coffee. While the coffee was being made, Shaw went into the supply tent using an empty bag he mixed up a feed for the horses using the oats, barley and wheat grains. He then filled each of the feedbags with the mixture and walked out of the tent.

The horses were all huddled beneath the canvases that were hung in the trees to provide a shelter. Casey and Sarah were among them standing close together for warmth. Shaw placed the feedbags on the horses noses and then offered full feedbags to Casey and Sarah. They both accepted though Casey rather grudgingly. Shaw smiled at that, idly patting Sarah's white neck. "If you guys need anything don't hesitate to ask." Shaw said then walked back to the fire where Chuck was pouring two cups of coffee.

The two of them drank their coffee then Chuck true to his word went back into the tent mumbling, "Wake me when it stops raining."

Shaw grinned shaking his head and poured himself another cup of coffee.

Unfortunately the rain continued throughout the day. The horses ventured out of the shelter to graze sometime after Shaw removed the feedbags. Casey and Sarah did as well. Chuck eventually woke back up glaring at the rain, but he helped Shaw cook up some oat porridge with sugar to sweeten it. They sat around the campfire as they ate watching the horses graze.

"They look cold and miserable." Chuck said.

Shaw nodded, though he knew that their coats would help keep them warm. Shaw looked at the cookpot and had an idea. He went back to the supply tent and found the bag of mixed feed he had made. He poured a generous amount into the pot and then added some water. He placed the pot over the fire.

"Are you still hungry?" Chuck asked.

"No this if for Sarah and Casey." Shaw answered.

"Good idea." Chuck brightened. When the mash was done, they filled two large bowls with the stuff and carried them to where Casey and Sarah were once again huddled beneath the makeshift shelter. The other horses were still grazing.

Chuck and Shaw held the bowls for their two friends and partners. Casey and Sarah ate the warm mash gratefully. The real horses were curious but were too afraid of the big stallion to try and steal his food. Casey had finished his first and Chuck took the bowl he had held for his mentor to the stream to clean it. When Sarah was done, Shaw did the same. They gave the other horses some more of the grain mix, then went back to the fire.

"I think this rain is going to last all day." Shaw said looking up at the gray cloud covered sky.

"Looks like it." Chuck returned. He added a few more pieces of wood to the fire. Eventually the rain got worse and drove them to seek shelter in the tent. The slept some, talked a little bit and ate cold bread and cheese. Eventually the rain began to recede but by that time it was getting dark. They ate a quick meal of warm toasted bread with melted cheese over it and warmed up a little of the smoked meat. Then the two of them retired for the night after Shaw checked on Sarah and Casey.

The sun was out the next morning and they decided that it was time to pack up and head toward the village. After eating a bowl of grain porridge, the two men began to pack up the tents and bedrolls along with all the supplies into the cart. Shaw used the healthiest of the real horses to harness to the cart. The other horses he tied to the back of the cart two to each side. Chuck and Shaw changed into their black mission clothes stuffing the rest of the clothes and some supplies in the saddlebags.

Reluctantly, both Shaw and Chuck placed the saddle blankets on their friends' backs then saddled up Sarah and Casey using the two best saddles Shaw had found among the bandit's gear. The bridles were placed last, the bits having been removed. Before they saddled the two humans turned horses, Shaw had insisted that they be brushed down because it would be more comfortable for the two of them. Sarah had agreed, but Casey had shook his head. Chuck just ignored the head shake however so that when Shaw was done with the brush on Sarah, Chuck took it and tried to brush Casey's coat. Casey sidestepped out of the way and snapped at Chuck missing him deliberately. Chuck just frowned at him and said, "Do you really want all that dirt and mud between you and a saddle. By the time we got to the village your back would be rubbed raw. I know it sucks, but the saddles were your idea."

Casey laid back his ears, but allowed Chuck to brush his coat free of mud and dirt. When Chuck was done, Casey's coat shined. Chuck didn't stop at that, however. He also used the comb to unknot Casey's mane and tail and pulled out several burrs. Casey laid his ears back even more, but didn't stop Chuck. The Intersect even gave him the knowledge to check Casey's hooves for damage. When it was done, Chuck then saddled and bridled his mentor.

Chuck and Shaw swung up into the saddles, then Shaw grabbed the lead rope tied to the horse that was harnessed to the cart. Casey led the group taking them out of the woods at an angle to avoid the carcass on the road. Sarah followed Casey with the cart horse following her.

Once on the road, Casey walked on the side of the cart horse as they headed down the road hopefully toward a town or village.

They stopped to rest about midday. Shaw made up the feedbags for the horses with the grain mixture, settling down to share some bread with meat and cheese with Chuck when he was done.

"Almost like a sandwich." Chuck said. Casey rolled his eyes.

After resting for a few hours they continued on down the road.

At one point they came upon two men leading a similar cart to their own drawn by a mule. One of the men was older with some gray in his hair and the other was obviously the man's son who appeared to be about sixteen or so. The two men smiled at Shaw and Chuck in a friendly manner as they passed around them. Shaw and Chuck smiled back giving nods of greeting.

"Heading to the market?" The man asked as they passed.

"Yes," Shaw answered. "And you?"

"Aye, have several casks of apple brandy and some cider to sell. Had a good crop this year." The man answered. Shaw had unconcsiously reined Sarah to a slower walk so that he could talk to the man. The horse following them had slowed as well so that only Chuck and Casey were ahead of them.

"Congratulations, I take it you have an apple orchard?" Shaw asked.

"Oh aye, but it's not all I deal in of course. Got sheep same as everyone else, and grow wheat and tobacco. Selling the horses? Didn't think anyone round here raised horses."

"Well we don't raise horses. Some bandits thought we would be easy pickings." Shaw said hoping he wasn't saying too much.

But the man nodded sadly, "Aye it's been a few rough years what with the war and all, lotta men forced into banditry lately. 'Course there are those who refused our lord's call to arms and had to turn to bandits to survive. My eldest two boys are off fighting. I pray to the Mother they make it back safely to us."

"I will add my prayers to yours good sir." Shaw said. The man thanked him and Shaw tightened his thighs to tell Sarah to catch up to Casey. Sarah picked up her pace to a fast walk and the cart horse followed.

When they caught up to Casey, Chuck asked Shaw, "Anything useful?"

"A little bit. There is war going on apparently. Has been for awhile it seems. I am guessing that is why they need the war-horses."

"I hope they don't try to conscript us into this war." Chuck said.

"Hopefully not."

Before night, Casey, scouting ahead, found them a place off the road and in the surrounding woods for them to camp. They made just a quick camp setting up one tent and leaving the supplies in the cart, but covering the cart with one of the canvases from the other tents. They unsaddled Casey and Sarah, rubbing them both down. They tied the other horses to a rope strung between two trees, and made a small fire to cook a grain porridge. The horses were given nosebags full of the grain mixture as was Sarah and Casey. After they ate, Chuck and Shaw retired to their bedrolls in the tent.

The next morning was more of the same. After a quick breakfast of porridge and hot coffee, they broke down the camp placing the supplies they had used back in the cart including the tent and bedrolls. They buried the hot coals of the fire with dirt, then placed one of the other horses in the harness and tied the other four to the back of the cart.

After a quick brushing that Sarah enjoyed and Casey barely tolerated, they replaced the saddles and bridles and then mounted up. They got back on the road and continued on their journey toward what they hoped was a village or town.

As they travelled they began to notice that the trees were thinning out and eventually the forest made way to broad rolling plains. In the distance on the plains they could see other smaller dirt track roads that connected to the one they road on from outlying farms. They could see the farmhouses with smoke from their chimneys. They were mostly small homes made from stone and wood with sometimes a barn or shelter surrounded by a rock or wood fence. The fields themselves were filled with golden grain or large leafy plants that Shaw recognized as tobacco plants. They could see people working in the fields and Shaw wasn't surprised to see that they were mostly women and children. A war usually greatly reduced the number of men to work the fields.

"Its kinda pretty. All this land as far as the eye can see." Chuck said.

"It is quite beautiful." Shaw agreed.

"Looks like a lot of hard work too."

"That it is. We may have to find work on farm somewhere. Unless we want to become soldiers."

They continued on down the road that led them up a hill. Once they reached the top of the hill they could see the road winding down the other side past more farmland to what looked like a town surrounded by a large stone wall. The town was a good size and had a lot of buildings some as high as six stories. The buildings were mostly made from stone with some wooden supports. A river flowed past the walls of the town and a bridge was required to be crossed to reach the gates. Around the outside of the walls was more farmland and farmhouses. There was even a farmhouse slightly bigger than the ones they had seen so far situated not more than a few yards off the main road. As they rode closer they saw that the farmland around the house was fenced in by a high fence made of stone and wood. In the fenced in farmland stood a stable and an attached windmill. The farmland didn't hold any tobacco, just wheat and other grains along with weeds and tall grasses. A few sheep and goats along with a cow were grazing in the fenced in field.

The farmhouse made of stone and wood had a wraparound porch with a wooden deck. As they rode closer they could see an older man sitting on a chair on the deck smoking a pipe and watching the travelers on the road. For as they got closer to the town they noticed they weren't the only ones traveling toward the town. Several were farmer and shepards taking their goods to the town market to be sold, while a few others were soldiers or guards but not dressed in the red cloaks that the soldiers they had seen before had been wearing.

As they passed the farmhouse with its owner sitting on the porch, the man called out to them, "You sure are a long way from home."

Chuck reined Casey to a stop unconsciously. Casey stamped a hoof at Chuck but Chuck was too busy flashing on the man to notice.

Chuck couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Chuck what is it?" Shaw asked.

"That man, he's a CIA agent. His name is Scott Harrington. He went missing five years ago." Chuck answered. Shaw looked at the old man sitting on his porch.

"CIA agent, Chuck that man would have been retired five years ago. He's mine and Casey's age combined maybe with yours added on."

"I know but I flashed on his voice. According to the file he should only be about ten years older than I am."

Shaw frowned and looked at the man who held amusement in his eyes.

"Somehow the boy recognized me. I take he's an analyst or something." The old man said.

"Or something." Shaw answered.

"I take it you were brought here like I was. Through a nice little portal, I reckon. And those mounts under you aren't really horses."

Shaw and Chuck looked at each other. They weren't sure how to deal with the man.

"Nothing in the Intersect suggested he was with the Ring." Chuck told Shaw.

"I know you are suspicious of me, but I can help you. It's the reason I built my home here about ten years ago. I knew that anyone brought to this world from ours who escaped from those bastards would find the road and make their way here. I hoped to find them when they did and help them."

"Help how?" Chuck asked.

"Help you to understand what has happened and how you can save your friends. We probably shouldn't talk out here. There's a gate just to the side there. Take your cart and horses into the barn. When you are finished taking care of them come inside and I will tell you everything." The man said.

Shaw and Chuck looked at each other. Casey stamped his hoof in MORSE code. "Casey doesn't trust him. Not surprising, Casey doesn't trust anyone. I don't think this guy is lying." Chuck told Shaw.

"You think we need to hear him out?" Shaw asked.

"Yes." Chuck answered.

Shaw thought for a moment and then nodded. "All right." He used the reins to guide Sarah to the gate leading the cart horse with him. Sarah trusted Shaw and was willing to go along with him and Chuck's decision.

Casey balked at following. He didn't trust the guy and he couldn't believe that Shaw and Chuck were going to go inside the man's house leaving Casey and Sarah in a barn.

"Come on, Casey it will be alright. When has the Intersect been wrong." Chuck said.

There is always a first time, Casey thought but he sighed then followed Sarah and the cart through the gate.

Inside the barn were stalls. Shaw and Chuck unharnessed the cart horse and placed each of the real horses in stall. Inside each stall was a water trough and a feed trough along with a hay basket. They filled the troughs with water and some grain, then unsaddled Casey and Sarah placing the saddles on wooden barrels that were sitting on top of some stands. They placed the bridles on hooks on the walls. Then they gave Sarah and Casey each a stall filling the trough with water and the food trough with grain. Then they left the barn leaving the door open so Casey and Sarah could come and go. They walked through the gate closing it behind them so the goats and sheep couldn't get out and headed for the front of the porch.

The man was waiting for them. "Well I know the boy recognized me, but thought I would introduce myself. Name is Scott Harrington, please to meet you."

"Daniel Shaw, and this is Charles Carmichael." Shaw introduced them.

"Shall we go inside. I have a pot of coffee freshly brewed." Scott said.

Shaw nodded and the two of them followed Scott into the house.


	4. Chapter Four

Just inside the door was a sitting room with a fireplace. The sitting room held some comfortable padded chairs and small tables that sat in a semi-circle in front of the fireplace. There were stairs opposite of the fireplace that led to the second floor. Behind the stairs was a doorway that led into the kitchen. Harrington led them through the doorway into the kitchen and gestured for the others to seat themselves at the small table.

Chuck and Shaw sat down and looked around the kitchen. The kitchen hearth was large and had an oven above it. There was a handpump over a ceramic sink and several cabinets and shelves. Several herb plants were hanging over the sink in front of a glass window soaking up the sun. Harrington took the coffeepot off of the hook where it was hanging above the warm hearth and brought it to the table. He then took out of a cabinet three ceramic mugs and placed them on the table. On the table already was a copper and gold sugar bowl. Harrington poured the coffee into each of their mugs, then seated himself at the table.

After everyone was settled and drinking their coffee, Harrington began to talk.

"My partner and I were investigating a rumor of a group that we later found out was called the Ring. We were captured by a splinter group that while a part of the Ring their activities were not generally known. We were forced fed the potion in our world and then sent through a portal into this world. My partner transformed into a big bay stallion. We managed to escape which in the end turned out to be a bad thing."

"How can you say that." Chuck asked.

"Because then my partner might still be alive. This is why I set myself up here after I had learned everything I could. So that I could keep others from dying."

"Wait you said that you were both fed the potion. Is that what makes them transform and if so why didn't you change or Chuck. He was fed the same potion," Shaw asked.

"The potion is what changes them. It has to be given to them in our world for it to work. It doesn't work on everyone though. People who are wizards or have the potential to be wizards will not transform. That is what I learned, what I needed to learn. It took me over ten years, but eventually I became a wizard."

Chuck and Shaw stared at the man in shock.

Harrington smiled at their expressions, "I know it was hard for me to learn that as well. After seeing your partner get transformed into a horse you kinda have to start believing in magic."

"Okay, I guess we shouldn't be so skeptical. I will hold judgment later, but you said that your partner died. How?" Chuck asked suddenly terrified for Casey and Sarah.

"Fourteen days after we came to this world we stopped at an abandoned farm to rest for the night. The moment the sun went down, my partner, Josh Danvers, transformed back into his human form. We were happy, we thought it meant that the spell had worn off. We were wrong. We slept that night and when morning came my partner was gone. The horse was there but it wasn't Josh and it wasn't a horse. Josh was gone, forever. And the horse had no instincts to help it. It just stood there unable to eat or drink, unable to learn to do so. I put it down rather than let it suffer. Afterward, I left the farm and continued to travel determined to find out what happened."

"So Casey and Sarah are going to die in ten days?" Chuck was shocked, he wanted to scream and rant at the man to deny that it would happen. Only Shaw's hand on his shoulder kept him from doing so.

"What did you find out?" Shaw asked.

"I found a wizard who was willing to take me as his apprentice. He trained me and taught me. In his spell books I found the history of the spell and what it does. Why it was created. The reason Josh died is because I didn't bond to Josh as his Rider. The men who brought us here would have sold Josh and your friends to warriors and knights who would have bonded to the war-horses on the fourteenth night becoming their Riders."

"So on the fourteenth night we bond our partners and they won't die. I assume they go back to being horses though." Shaw speculated.

"Somewhat. Once bonded to a Rider, the Rider has control of what form their Mounts take, whether human or horse," Harrington answered.

"Then that settles it. When they transform back we bond to them and they are safe," Shaw said satisfied that they had an answer.

Chuck, however, wasn't sure. "How do we bond?"

Harrington smiled a bittersweet smile. "See that is the real problem. I am not sure that even if Josh and I had known that we would have had to the courage to bond. You see the bond between a Rider and Mount is sexual. The Rider has to be a man for it to work. The Mount, of course, can be male or female. And it's only one Rider per Mount. One of you can't bond both of them."

"You mean we have to..." Chuck trailed off, he wasn't sure he could say it.

"Fuck," Shaw asked finishing Chuck's question.

"Yes. The magic is completed when the Rider's seed is planted in the Mount's human body on the fourteenth night."

Chuck looked at Shaw. "I don't like this and I know they aren't to like this at all."

Shaw nodded at that.

As soon as Shaw and Chuck left the barn, Casey walked out of the stall ignoring the food and water and headed for the doors. Sarah followed him.

"Where are you going," she asked.

"I am going to see if I can't hear what they are saying," Casey said as he exited the barn. He noticed immediately that the gate was shut and locked. He stamped a hoof in anger when also realized that the fence was too high to jump and too strong to break through. He followed the fence until they were directly behind the house, but strain his ears as he might, Casey could not hear inside the house.

"Can you hear anything," he asked Sarah.

Sarah shook her white head. "I am sure that Chuck and Daniel will come out and tell us what they learned."

"For all we know it was a trap."

"Chuck said it was safe. They can take care of themselves." Sarah tried to sound confident, but it was falling a little short.

Luckily for their nerves, the back door opened and Chuck stepped out onto the porch. He saw Casey and Sarah with their heads peaking over the fence and waved at them trying to be reassuring. Daniel Shaw stepped out beside Chuck and looked over at their partners.

"How are we going to tell them," Chuck asked Shaw.

"We just tell them. Casey isn't going to believe it. I am not entirely sure I believe it. But when the fourteenth night comes, we need to be ready just in case." With that Shaw walked over to the fence with Chuck following him. Once at the fence, Chuck and Shaw climbed the rails and settled themselves on the top rail. Casey immediately stamped out a question in Morse code.

"He wants to know what we learned," Chuck translated.

Shaw looked at Chuck, then took a deep breath. Finally he began to explain everything that Harrington had told them.

Sarah was in shock from the explanation. She didn't know how to react. Casey, on the hand, had a very violent reaction. He shook his massive head and stamped out a 'NO' in Morse code, then turned and galloped across the field. Sarah was shocked by his reaction.

"Sarah, please go after him," Chuck asked. Sarah nodded hearing the worry in Chuck's tone. She turned and galloped after Casey.

She found him at the other end of the field peering over the top of the fence.

"Casey are you alright," She asked as she moved to stand beside the stallion.

"I am fine." Casey answered roughly.

"Are you?" She wasn't convinced.

"It's all bullshit anyway. We won't change back to human form. We should just take Chuck and Shaw into town. They can find work and we can leave."

"Where would we go?"

"Into the hills. It doesn't matter just somewhere far away from civilization."

"And what happens if we do change back to human form. What then?"

Casey stamped a hoof and shook his head, "If you want to stay, that's fine, but I am leaving."

"Casey what is wrong. Why won't you stay until the fourteenth night? If we don't change then we can move on, and if we do then at least we have a chance at surviving."

"If we change it won't matter, at least not to me. I can't...I won't...just don't ask me to allow that to happen." Casey turned away from her and began walking along the fence his head down in a miserable pose.

Sarah hurried to walk alongside him. "Casey you can't mean to just give up and let yourself die. That's not the soldier I know."

"You don't know me that well."

They walked in silence for moment. Sarah tried hard to come up with some way of getting Casey to open up. She knew Casey, like herself, had used his body to get the job done before. Male or female, it didn't matter as long as the job got done and the safety of the country was at stake.

"I was tortured once. That was why I was in Washington when your ex-partner Bryce stole the Intersect. I had been released from the hospital a week before, and Beckman was still trying to decide where to send me. I was supposed to take Bryce in alive, but I got a little trigger happy. It helped take away some of the anger and pain. It was why I was so intent on killing you. I was enjoying it a little too much. I am not sure I wouldn't have just killed you both and left you to rot on the roof if Chuck hadn't flashed."

Sarah listened saying nothing. This was the most Casey had said since she had known him.

"They wanted information, but they wanted to punish me as well. They knew I had assassinated one of their own. They wanted me to confess to killing him on tape so they could broadcast it, to prove that the American government had sanctioned it. Beatings were nothing. I had taken worse from my old man. Told them my grandmother hit harder than they did. Electrocution is an old tried and true method. You can't control your reaction while its happening, but you can ignore the pain afterwards. You just make your mind realize that you can't control your body's responses. Don't let it humiliate you when you lose control of your bladder."

Sarah pressed her body against Casey's trying to comfort him with arms to hold him. She felt proud of him when he leaned back against her seeking that comfort.

"The first night after a long day of beatings, and electric shock I was thrown into a dark cell. I tried to sleep, tried to marshal my strength for an escape when two of the guards decided they would have their own kind of fun. Fun that if they had been discovered enjoying would have gotten them beheaded."

Sarah didn't have to ask what had happened. She had been trained like all other agents had that rape was a possibility when captured, and that gender didn't matter.

"Beckman had sent in a team to get me out. I was there for five days, and every night those guards..." He trailed off. Casey had said as much as he was planning to. Instead he stood there in his powerful horse body leaning against his partner.

They stood there for awhile, neither saying anything. Sarah didn't know what to say. Casey was her partner. The first and only partner she had whose partnership hadn't been compromised by sex. She remembered the beginning when she had told Graham that Casey was a burn-out. She never knew why or how that rumor had started. She had heard it when she had been in DC. She knew later that some of it was because he had lost Ilsa. Now she knew that losing Ilsa had only been part of the reason.

"Casey, Chuck would never. Chuck wouldn't hurt you like that."

"It doesn't matter. I can't roll over for anyone. I did it before, for nation security reasons, but I told Beckman after what happened that I could never do that again. She accepted that."

"Casey, you'll die." Sarah said.

"Then if that's what has to happen I can accept it. It's still my choice, Walker."


	5. Chapter Five

Eventually their wanderings led them around the field and back to where Shaw and Chuck were still sitting on the fence.

"Casey are you alright?" Chuck asked his voice full of concern. Casey stamped out in Morse code that he was fine. Chuck didn't believe that answer for a minute.

"Chuck and I have been talking. Harrington has offered us a place to stay until the fourteenth night. We are going to take him up on the offer." Shaw said.

Casey stamped out something in Morse code.

Shaw looked to Chuck. Chuck answered Shaw's unspoken question, "He says he's leaving."

Shaw looked at Casey and shook his head, "That would not be advisable."

Casey stamped again more angrily. Chuck translated, "He says he's leaving and for us to open the gate."

"That would not be a good idea," Harrington said from behind them. They turned to see the ex-CIA agent standing on the porch. "I get that the stallion doesn't want to bond, but if he leaves he may not have a choice in the matter."

"What do you mean?" Shaw asked.

"Despite the saddles, the Mounts are easily recognizable by those who know what they are looking for, and I assure you that the soldiers and mercenaries you shared the road with know what to look for. They would have waited till you came into the town walls, and then they would have taken the stallion and mare from the two of you even if they had to kill you. By coming onto my land, however, you foiled their ability to take them. Neither soldier nor mercenaries would try and steal from a wizard. If the stallion leaves the protection of my land, then they will take him. And on the fourteenth night they won't care if he says no."

Casey had laid his ears back at the last part and then stamped his hoof. Chuck translated again, "He says he can avoid capture."

"If he were in human form, then I would have no doubt. But he doesn't have hands to untie the ropes they will use. He should stay and when the fourteenth night has passed then one of you can put the horse down to prevent it from suffering."

Chuck felt a tightness in his chest at the thought. Casey stamped his hoof telling them to let him out. Chuck realized that the fence was too high for Casey to jump it and that unless they opened the gate he couldn't leave. Chuck didn't want to watch Casey die, but at the same time he didn't want Casey to be captured and forced to bond to a complete stranger.

"Enough, Casey. You're not thinking rationally. I know why you don't want to bond, I get it. I don't want to watch you die, but it's your choice. If you leave you won't get a choice. It's safer here. No one here will force you to bond." Chuck told the black stallion.

Casey laid his ears back and bared his teeth, then turned away from the both of them angrily and headed toward the barn. Sarah looked at Chuck who nodded at her with sad smile on his face, and then she turned and followed Casey.

"He is not happy." Shaw said. "Why doesn't he want to bond?"

"It's not my place to say, Shaw." Chuck answered as he watched the two horses disapear into the barn.

"I take it you flashed." Shaw sumised.

"A long time ago, but like I said it's not my place to say. It's Casey's choice, neither one of us are going to force him, but I am not letting him run away just to get captured and forced to bond anyway."

Harrington came up to stand beside them and saw the sad looks on both their faces. "Chuck, they will be safe here. The fence is reinforced with magic so neither one of them can break it down. I also have wards all along the fence and if anyone tries to get inside I will know it. There is plenty of grazing and water for them and plenty of room for them to run."

"Thanks." Chuck told the wizard.

"Chuck there is something else I would like you to consider. I would like you to become my apprentice."  
Chuck looked at the wizard, shocked. "You mean learn magic?"

"Yes, since the potion didn't change you it's obvious that you have the potential to be a wizard, I can help you. It takes a few years, but when it's done I would like to leave you my house and my land. I am getting old and I don't want this watch I have taken upon myself to be abandoned. You can take up the watch for me. To help those who find their way here. Daniel is more than welcome to stay as well along with the mare."

"Sarah." Chuck told him.

Harrington smiled, "Sarah, then. She will also be welcome."

"Thanks, I think I'll take you up on that offer, Scott. This will be a good place for us to grieve and heal together." Chuck said with a sad tone in his voice.

"Good, perhaps then we should start now. Give your friends time."

"Chuck are you sure this is a good idea?" Shaw asked. He had been listening to the conversation but kept his peace until the end.

"Yeah, I think it is. If you and Sarah want to move on afterwards that's okay. I will remain here." Chuck answered.

"Alright, Chuck. Afterwards Sarah and I will discuss it and we can tell you what we've decided." Shaw told him.

Chuck nodded then followed Harrington into the house.

Inside the barn, Casey went into one of the stalls to sulk. Sarah followed him standing just outside the stall. "They are just trying to protect you, Casey."

"I don't need their protection."

"Casey we aren't human anymore. We don't have hands and feet, our eyesight is bad and while we have hooves and teeth that wouldn't be enough if a group of men tried to capture you with ropes and chains. Casey, they aren't going to force you to bond. They just don't want you to be forced to bond with someone else."

Casey looked for a moment as if he were going to argue, then he sighed a deep sigh that cause his sides to move. "You're right. I don't have to like it, but it won't be forever."

"I really wish you could change your mind, though. I don't want to lose my best partner."

"You'll have Shaw. And Chuck. And if they are right you'll be able to be human again. I won't change my mind. I can't give up that much control not even to someone I can trust."

"You trust Chuck." There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

Casey snorted, "As much as someone like me can trust. It's the same with you. You trust Chuck. You are beginning to trust Shaw. I noticed he's easier to deal with in this world. His obsession with the Ring was starting to become dangerous."

"I noticed as well."

"So are you going to bond to Chuck or Shaw?"

"Chuck and I are still friends but the passionate romance is over. I offered to go with him to run away, but he decided he wanted to be a spy. Maybe I pushed him too hard, and maybe I was foolish to think that life on the run would be romantic, but that ship has sailed. I still love him, but it's not that grand passion any more. I trust Chuck, but I think bonding with him would not be a good idea. Why do you ask you're not usually one to talk about 'lady feelings' as you like to put it."

"I just wanted to know. I think Shaw has changed since we came here; he's more focused on protecting his partners rather than finding the Ring and those who killed his wife. Still, be careful, Sarah. Watch over them both for me if you can."

"I will, Casey.


End file.
